Three Ingredient Barbecue Sauce

Three ingredients. That’s all you need to make a simple, easy, and tasty barbecue sauce! I love this sauce since I can add things to my own taste or what I think my audience might like around my table. Start with the basic recipe and go from there. I think you’ll find this super easy to make and modify to your own kitchen. Equal parts start you off, but modify, modify, modify!

My sister first made this sauce years ago when we were vacationing in Florida on a family vacation and it’s been a staple for me in the kitchen ever since. I’d like to sell this as a recipe where you know what’s going in it, but let’s face it, ketchup is one crazy condiment and worcestershire sauce is equally elusive with the ingredient list. It does keep well in the fridge so don’t be afraid to make a large batch and keep it on hand. Glaze your meat with it during the last flip to get a good caramelization without burning too much. All that sugar is bad news for the grill so use caution.

I like sautéing a clove of garlic in a bit of olive oil first to make the batch extra garlic-licious. I also like adding Sriracha to my finished sauce to give it some more kick. Black pepper, red pepper flakes, soy sauce to give it a sweeter and more teriyaki like flavor is also an excellent option. If you want it thinner and more “southern style–NC,” get after some vinegar in this for that tang that you can’t miss. If you’re not a fan of the Worcestershire sauce, cut the amount right out of the gate by half and you can always add it back in gradually. Modify this by adding more or removing the three basic ingredients to get it where you like it. This is a flexible recipe that will tolerate tons of alterations.

You’ll need:

15 minutes

makes about 1 cup

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

Bring all ingredients to a low simmer in a small saucepan on the stove.

Make sure it’s not burning the bottom of the pan.

Simmer for about 10 minutes until ingredients are combined and begin to reduce and thicken.